The split between the grand old-fashioned symphonic performance of
Haydn's The Creation and newfangled historically oriented interpretations is increasingly blurred by the emergence of modern conductors and players who have taken advantage of the insights of the historically minded contingent. This new recording of
Haydn's The Creation, recorded in German, is a completely mixed bag that may make a fine contemporary choice for listeners whose comfort zone doesn't extend far into the authentic-performance realm. The
Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg uses mostly modern instruments, with a few natural brasses in the mix. The
Salzburger Bachchor is a fine specimen of the excellent local choirs found all over Germany and Austria; there is nothing to fault in their hearty singing, and nothing too surprising. The three soloists are not early music specialists but appealing voices in classic molds, with
Miah Persson's Eve a standout. (The production is quite an international affair, with an English conductor leading Austrian musicians and choristers, along with one English and two Scandinavian soloists.) There's nothing here to disturb any listener who grew up with the
Haydn oratorios as done by
Colin Davis, but a good deal is taken from historical-performance versions, and all of it is in the orchestra. The texture is thinned out to a point where all of
Haydn's pictorial devices, hidden for a century and a half, come through in full detail -- a historical development something like the cleaning of paintings in Italian cathedrals that have revealed riotous treatments of color. (Sample "Raphael's ode to creatures that creep across the earth," CD 2, track 3, especially the point where
Haydn depicts the "heavy beasts," for an idea of the benefits of this approach.)
Bolton makes a few odd choices, such as the tempo lurch that introduces the polyphonic section of "Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes" (The heavens are telling...), but the live sound -- there is little or no audience noise -- is perfectly in line with the performers' aims, and for the listener who wants a compromise between the rich traditional sound and newer interpretations, this two-disc set merits strong consideration.